Portugal and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Player of the Century ahead of rival Lionel Messi at the 2020 Globe Soccer Awards.
Other players who lost out to Ronaldo were Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Egypt.
Ronaldo was voted to be the best player between 2001 and 2020, at a star-studded event held in Dubai, after winning five Champions League titles, three Premier Leagues with Manchester United and two LaLiga trophies with Real Madrid, as well as the Nations League with Portugal.
“Thank you, to everyone who voted for me, to my family, to my mother and sisters,” Cristiano said.
“It is an exceptional achievement. It gives me the motivation to move forward.
“To be named the best is a great honour, I hope that this situation is over next year and that we can have more fun, thank you very much. I hope to still be able to play for more years.”
Manchester city coach, Pep Guardiola was also honoured for a managerial career which has seen him win league championships in Spain, Germany and England, as well as the Champions League twice.
The Manchester City boss was not present at the gala, though he accepted the award via a pre-recorded video message.
Both Ronaldo and Messi missed out on the men’s player of the year award for 2020, however, as that went to Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
Bayern’s treble of the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal also saw boss Hansi Flick rewarded as coach of the year.
Real Madrid was named the club of the century at the ceremony, while Bayern picked up the team award for 2020.
Jorge Mendes was named agent of the year for 2020, winning the award alongside his longtime client Ronaldo.
The Globe Soccer Awards, founded in 2010, acknowledge excellence in football with an annual gala dinner and awards ceremony.
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